The present invention relates to potter's wheels and, in particular, to a table-mounted wheel having an integral rotatively mounted extruder mechanism.
The principal tool of any potter is the potter's wheel and the design of which has, over time, remained substantially unchanged. Generally, it comprises a flat wheel which is rotatively mounted to a fixed table and whereon a ball of working clay is positioned (i.e. centered) for access by the potter. The speed of rotation of the wheel is varied as the potter shapes the clay into a desired form. For example, bowls, vases, pitchers and the like are progressively formed by kneading and pinching the clay into a cylindrical shape as the wheel turns. Depending upon the height of the piece and the desirability of obtaining a matched set, it is a time consuming process which depends greatly on the skill of the potter.
Independently mounted extruders have also been developed for making various cylindrical pottery pieces. They are generally comprised of a storage cylinder having an appropriately sized extrusion template mounted to one end and interiorly of which the clay is placed above a ram head that, in turn, is mounted to the piston of a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder. As the piston is extended, the clay is forced past the template and a rough cylinder of a desired diameter and wall thickness is formed. Once the piece is completed, a separately rolled bottom is attached with slip (i.e. liquid clay). Alternatively, the piece is placed on a flat plaster of Paris surface, filled to a desired height with slip and allowed to set to form the bottom for the piece. The principal advantage, though, of an extruder being the ability to repeatedly make uniform walled pieces.
Recognizing that conventional potter's wheels don't inherently provide the uniformity achievable with an extruder, the present invention contemplates a single piece of equipment including the advantages of both, as well as others. Such an assembly not only reduces the number of pieces of required equipment, but also provides additional advantages in making available a supply of clay in immediate proximity to the table. Ideally, the clay is available at the center of the wheel to save the potter's time in adjusting the clay position to find the center. Depending on the type of extrusion template, measured amounts of clay are thus controllably dispensable by volume and weight and even form, at predetermined, uniform thicknesses, with the potter thereby being able to more efficiently produce individual and matched sets of pieces.